A 5-year-old boy who was attacked by a mountain lion in the front yard of his home in Southern California was saved when his mother quickly sprung into action.
Wildlife officials say the 65-pound mountain lion attacked the boy Thursday morning near Calabasas. As the cougar was dragging the boy across the yard, his mother heard screaming and ran outside. She fended off the big cat by striking it multiple times with her bare hands, officials said. The cougar let the boy go and ran off.
The 5-year-old suffered significant traumatic injuries to his head, neck and chest. His parents rushed him to the hospital, where he remains in stable condition.
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"The true hero of this story is his mom because she absolutely saved her son's life," Capt. Patrick Foy, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesman, told the Associated Press. "She ran out of the house and started punching and striking the mountain lion with her bare hands and got him off her son."
Law enforcement was notified of the attack and a wildlife officer was sent to the family's home. During a sweep of the yard, the officer found "an aggressive mountain lion crouched in the corner of the property."
"Due to its behavior and proximity to the attack, the warden believed it was likely the attacking lion and to protect public safety shot and killed it on site," the wildlife department said in a statement.
About 20 minutes later, two more mountain lions appeared.
"One was a full-grown adult with a radio collar around its neck. The other was a smaller mountain lion about the same 65-lb. size as the dispatched lion," the department said. "After confirming with the boy's mother that the attacking lion did not have a collar, the wildlife officer used a non-lethal tranquilizing rifle to capture the other non-collared lion."
Wildlife Forensics Scientists analyzed samples from underneath the claws of the lion carcass and DNA tests confirmed the animal was responsible for attacking the child.
The second lion that was tranquilized was released into the wild after testing showed it was not involved in the attack.
The collared lion that also appeared at the scene was identified as P-54, a female mountain lion who is part of a National Park Service study. P-54 is known to have birthed cubs in October 2020 and has no known human-wildlife conflicts in her history. She was not captured and her collar reading showed she has since vacated the neighborhood.
Elizabeth Reid-Wainscoat of the L.A.-based Center for Biological Diversity told KNX mountain lion attacks in Southern California are "still very rare." She noted that the attack in Calabasas was the first reported incident of its kind in L.A. County in over 25 years.
"These incidents, although extremely rare, are a result of mountain lion habitat being diminished," she said. "They are forced to move into neighborhoods to find food and mates. The southern population in California has been especially impacted by real estate development."
Reid-Wainscoat said the Center is advising community members who reside or hike in the vicinity of the Calabasas attack to be "alert but not afraid" of mountain lions. She said people should avoid walking in the hours of dawn and dusk, when the cats are most active.
In the rare event that L.A. County residents do encounter a mountain lion, Reid-Wainscoat said, "Stop, do not run."
Unlike guidance when faced with a bear, people who encounter the big cats should not "act timid," or play dead, but hold their ground. Running may stimulate a mountain lion's instinct to chase.
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